July 11, 2005 The Royal Film Commission of Jordan and the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, DC host Award Winning Filmmaker Omar Naim The Royal Film Commission of Jordan (RFC) and the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan jointly hosted Arab filmmaker Omar Naim, who’s directorial and screenwriting debut, “The Final Cut” (2004) , was the focus of the Ambassador’s Cultural Series on July 11th held at the Embassy of Jordan, in Washington, DC. A young and talented filmmaker, Naim’s screenwriting caught the eye of France’s Equinox Project where his script was one of 10 selected from hundreds submitted from around the world. His talent and hard work garnered the industry’s interest when Academy Award-winning Hollywood star Robin Williams signed on to his project, later to be joined by fellow Academy award winner Mira Sorvino and actor Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ). With a top-notch cast and hand-picked dream crew, Naim’s “The Final Cut” was filmed in 35 days and put him on the path his talent compels him to walk today. As a young Arab filmmaker in Hollywood, Naim believes that “the world is hungry for new voices, especially Arab voices.” He hopes that “in some small way, I can be part of de-mystifying the filmmaking process” adding that “the obstacles to making films are gigantic…but the biggest obstacles are internal ones.” A Jordanian-born Lebanese, Naim says, “if we create a vital Arab film community that nurtures craft, talent and discipline, then our voices can be heard.” Nurturing such craftsmanship and talent is what the Royal Film Commission of Jordan set out to do, since its establishment in 2003. With the ultimate aim of helping develop an internationally competitive Jordanian audio-visual industry, the RFC is investing and building capacity in the cultural and creative industries, fostering environments where sustainable organizations and gifted talent thrive. In addition to creating an economy based on innovation by organizing workshops, master-classes and seminars, the RFC goal is to cultivate and develop ‘Film culture’. Through these partnerships and events, the RFC aims to empower Jordanians to own and tell their stories, contributing to cross-cultural global understanding as well as fostering initiatives that help preserve and transfer Jordan’s rich cultural heritage through audio-visual format.